9. Who is experiencing water shortages, and where?
What happens to people and other species when
water shortages occur?
Why do communities and countries run short of
water?
Is there some way to avoid shortages, or overcome
them once afflicted?
Chasing Water
10. Global Water Scarcity
~25% of water sources are heavily depleted
Source: “Tapped Out: How Will Cities Secure Their Water Future?
Richter and others, Water Policy Journal, 2013
11. Increasing Water Scarcity
Low Moderate Significant Severe
Minimal
impacts
Ecological
impacts
appear
Impacts to
ecosystem
services appear
Serious
economic
impacts
Full
natural
availability
20% depletion
of renewable
annual supply
Water
all gone
50%
depletion
80%
depletion
20. Two Fundamental Problems
• Governments are reluctant to set limits on
water extraction
• Remedies are directed at increasing supply
rather than reducing demand
21. Six Ways to Fix a Water Shortage
• Desalination
• Water reuse
• Water importation
• Water storage
• Watershed management
• Water conservation
Cost
22.
23.
24. We Live in a Water-Illiterate World
Nearly 80% of Americans have no idea where their
water comes from
Far fewer know what a “watershed” or “aquifer” is
Most water professionals do not understand the
difference between “water withdrawal” and
“consumptive use” (do you?)
If we have any hope of empowering citizens to play
a more active role in water planning and decision-
making, we face a huge educational challenge